Is Solange Knowles Trying to Be the Anti-Beyoncé?

Solange Knowles is the subject of a New York Times profile headlined "Life on Her Own Terms for Beyoncé’s Little Sister." It details her confounding ability to essentially lead two lives: that of Beyonce's Sister and that of a cool Brooklyn single mom who seems like she'd be more into going to the park, indie music and fashion than, say, yachts (then again--who wouldn't want to go on a yacht?).
When we chatted with Solange, who is incredibly sweet and cool in person, at a Band of Outsiders show last fall, she said she had to put a cap on how many shows she could attend because she had to be able to walk her son to school every day in Brooklyn. Then, she told me she had the same jeans I was wearing, which cost about $60. She's like the ultimate 'Stars- They're Just Like Us.' Her older sister, on the other hand, leads a pretty different lifestyle. But is Solange deliberately trying to differentiate herself from her big sis?
In a way, it sounds like she is.

Solange Knowles is the subject of a New York Times profile headlined "Life on Her Own Terms for Beyoncé’s Little Sister." It details her confounding ability to essentially lead two lives: that of Beyonce's Sister and that of a cool Brooklyn single mom who seems like she'd be more into going to the park, indie music and fashion than, say, yachts (then again--who wouldn't want to go on a yacht?).

When we chatted with Solange, who is incredibly sweet and cool in person, at a Band of Outsiders show last fall, she said she had to put a cap on how many shows she could attend because she had to be able to walk her son to school every day in Brooklyn. Then, she told me she had the same jeans I was wearing, which cost about $60. She's like the ultimate 'Stars! They're Just Like Us.' Her older sister, on the other hand, leads a pretty different lifestyle. But is Solange deliberately trying to differentiate herself from her big sis?

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In a way, it sounds like she is. She tells the Times, “I’m so proud of her success, but I could not do that. It’s given me a pretty clear blueprint on what I don’t want to happen.” It also sounds like Beyoncé supports that blueprint. “I’ve been trying to talk her into going to Brooklyn for six years,” Beyoncé told the Times. “It’s so close to her personality. She’s such a fashionista--she’ll get used to it.”

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Solange has indeed become a fixture at NYC fashion events (and often dj's them) and known for her eclectic, colorful style. She's also a Next model. Humberto Leon calls her a "style icon" in the Times piece and Vogue UK recently referred to her as the "next big thing."

The way she dips her toes into various things--music, modeling, djing, designing?--says to me that she's trying to explore her interests--something real, normal people do--rather than become a 'star' in one particular genre. But, are the fundamental differences between her and her sister natural or ones that she's contrived? Solange says that the indie persona she's developed wasn't just a reaction to her sister's mainstream-ness and instead has more to do with an age gap:

There’s always going to be a bit of mystery as to how two people who grew up in the same household have different interests,” Ms. Knowles said, referring to her sister. “I’m younger than her, and even in five years, there’s a total gap in how you’re exposed to musical things and fashion and art.

What do you think? Is Solange trying to be the anti-Beyoncé or is she just being herself?

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Last night, Opening Ceremony threw a block party on Howard Street (where their flagship is located) to celebrate the stateside launch of Kim Jones' collaboration with Bean Pole, a South Korean retailer. Thus, the party was sort of Korean-themed with a Korean taco truck and cocktails made with soju. To round out the block party vibe, Brooklyn MC Theophilus London performed to a fashionable crowd that included Shala Monroque, Jen Brill, Phil Oh, and Rachel Chandler. Even new Kenzo creative directors (and Opening Ceremony co-founders) Humberto Leon and Carol Lim made time to stop by.
The always stylish and multi-talented Solange Knowles was also there and joined London on stage for two songs after doing a three-hour DJ set. Even though she was probably pretty exhausted from all that, Solange, who is becoming a regular here on Fashionista, was nice enough to chat with us briefly after her awesome performance. Here's what she had to say about dj'ing, stealing clothes from her sister and doing a clothing line.

New mom Beyoncé isn't the only Knowles making headlines today. Blue Ivy Carter's aunt Solange has just opened the door to a new chapter in her own life: a modeling career. Next Models has confirmed to us that they've recently signed the musician/actress/dj/fashion darling, who Vogue UK is touting as the "Next Big Thing."
The news isn't exactly surprising. Solange has been a bit of a fixture in both fashion and beauty industries lately--attending runway shows, djing fashion parties, and becoming a Rimmel spokesperson. She's also modeled for Armani Jeans and her mother and sister's line House of Dereon.